2D alien exploration! (And other great games from the AESVI showcase)

At Gamescom this month there was a dedicated stand run by AESVI, the Italian Games Trade Body, and it showcased the best upcoming games from Italy. As well as some excellent VR projects, we also sampled the complete line-up of mobile games. Darkly atmospheric forma.8 was singled out by Red Bull as one of their indie games of the whole show, so we turned our attention there first...

You uncover the secrets of a mysterious alien planet in this open world Metroidvania-style adventure. You control a cute round probe with two glowing eyes as it negotiates the dark planet it's crashed on. What’s the secret behind the planet's history? The distinctive visual style and ambient sound brings to mind a sci-fi Limbo. Due out soon, forma.8 will be on Wii U as well as iOS.

Asgard Rift: Battle Arena (recently released on Google Play) is a tactical card game with characters to collect and evolve. It's real-time PvP and you collect chests and runes to unlock and upgrade new fighters. If that sounds a bit like Clash Royale and its ilk, don't worry: it has a distinctive anime-style charm. Mangatar, who made their name creating "Manga avatars" (hence the name), were also presenting Little Briar Rose and Ninja Clone. The former is a point-and-click adventure with a stained-glass art style, and Ninja Clone is side-scrolling runner where you have up to seven ninjas running simultaneously.

This is a side-scrolling adventure starring a team of famous literary characters. It's intended to be a new interpretation of the classics in which you explore a wide 2D land in the company of characters from fiction and fairytale.